Every Woman’s Travel Journal

London and Ireland

May 2001
Every Woman’s Travel Journal
Adventure is my only reason for living. Alexandra David-Neel

Following is my record of travel to London and Ireland in 2001 – a gift to myself in celebration of my graduation from
Boise State University Graduate School with a BS in Instructional and Performance Technology (IPT). This was a tour
guided by my then boss, Dr Suzanne McCorkle, acting Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Public Administration at
BSU. The written journal is enhanced by photos I took and photos and information from the web.

Information in brackets [ ] has been added with this writing – not included in the original journal.

Itinerary

Date: May 17,2001

Depart: Boise 2:15 pm
Arrive: Minn 6:00 pm

Date: May 17, 2001

Depart: Minn 7:10 pm
Arrive: London May 18, 2001 9:00 am (Gatwick)
Accommodations…… Hogarth Hotel

Date: May 21, 2001

Depart: London (Heathrow)
Arrive: Dublin
Accommodations……. Harcourt Hotel (off St Stephen’s
Greens)

Date: May 24, 2001

Depart: Dublin
Arrive: Cork

Date: May 25, 2001

Depart: Cork
Arrive: Kenmare

Date: May 27, 2001

Depart: Kenmare
Arrive: Galway
Accommodations….. Imperial Hotel

Date: May 30, 2001

Depart: Galway -> Shannon
Arrive: Boise

(Map similar, but not just like our tour – left from Shannon not returning to Dublin)
Record of Expenses
Credit Card charges:
Play tickets – £20
Souvenirs at aquarium - £8
Book & ticket – £18.5
Dinner – £33
Souvenirs – Picadilly circus – £34
Souvenirs – £46.99
5/19 London
5/19 London
5/20 Madame Toussads
5/20 Angus Steak House
5/20 various shops
5/22 various shops, Dublin

Cash:
Stamps/postcards –£ 4.5 5/18 Gatwick Airport
Entry fee – £4 5/18 Museum of Natural History, London
Dinner – £4 9p 5/18 Old Brampton
Entry fee – £5 5/19 Aquarium, London
Entry fee – £9 5/19 London Eye
Fish&Chips – £5 5/19 London Tower area
Tube day pass – £4 5/19 Earl’s Square London
Tube day pass – £4 5/20 Earl’s Court, London
Fish&Chips – £9 5/20 Liverpool Street, London
Lozenges – £4 5/21 London
Lunch – £5.5 5/23 Powerscourt
Gifts – £7 5/23 Powerscourt
[I guess I quit keeping track at this point]
Thursday, May 17, 2001 Minneapolis MN

Our plane was delayed in landing because President Bush was at the airport. We had to circle a
couple times. Brenda [Waters, my selected room mate] talked with Joe, a truck driver, returning to
Florida because of illness.

( lunch – ham and cheese sandwich and apple)

From Minn we were in the center row with Richard and Sue Lewis [an employee of BSU and his wife]
and a man from England (returning home from a business trip). *note in margin – the plane had 9
seats across – 2 on each side and 5 in the middle.

(dinner – chicken, salad, cherry crisp)

JOSS played games on his computer. “Family Man” was the in-flight movie. I watched the movie
rather than sleep. Brenda had one of those inflatable pillows that fit around your neck, so she was
able to sleep. Many people slept but others, like me, stayed awake. We watched the sun rise early
and at about 7am the stewardesses brought hot towels to freshen up before the meal.

Friday, May 18, 2001 London (Gatwick)

Had banana nut muffin and banana/strawberry yogurt on plane. Landed abt 9am and had to wait at
airport for other flights to arrive. The bus trip in (through Surry, Chelsea) took over an hour so it was
almost 2 pm before we got into our rooms [at the Hogarth Hotel in Kensington].

[Hogarth Hotel, Kensington, London; from our window, our room]

Brenda and I freshened up and walked to the Museum of Natural History (dinosaurs, etc). Richard
and Sue Lewis were there also. Talked with a couple from Washington DC. [see pictures following -
many of the people in our tour opted to go on a guided tour of London, but Brenda and I decided to
‘go it on our own’ by foot, underground rail (the ‘Tube’), and bus.+

Taken on our walk to the museum, on Cromwell Rd.

Natural History Museum

 We stopped at Bram Stoker’s Pub on Old Brampton Rd. I had a half-pint. Before that we stopped at
a small café and had a ‘vegetable bake’ dish and watched kids congregating in the streets after school
(having cursing/yelling matches and showing off).

[Bram Stoker Tavern - A hell of a bar

Address: 148 Old Brompton Road – South Kensington
SW7 0BE – Kensington/Chelsea London
Nearest Bus or Train: South Kensington
Open Hours: 11a-11p M-Su

Found within easy reach of the museums and restaurants of South Kensington, The Bram Stoker Tavern
serves the spookiest pint this side of Transylvania. Decked out to create the ambience of Dracula‟s Dungeon –
right down to the toilets that are reached through a secret door in a false bookcase – this is a fun place to drain
some drinks before sinking your teeth into an unsuspecting burger or 6anini.

Pints come in cheap at Bram Stoker‟s, but you‟re better off opting for the
“seven deadly cocktails”, which are named after the sins.

Gothic does not come any better than this. The Dracula theme at The Bram
Stoker Tavern is fascinating, eerie, and most compelling with a waxwork
model of the master himself looking down over a scene that includes a
reproduction of a private library, scientific odds and ends, and much creepy
memorabilia – all in an impressive setting. Silent horror classics can be seen
constantly on the television, and even the outward appearance of the
building itself plays a major part in the realistic „fangs and fiends‟
atmosphere. Must be seen.]

(cont) Bram Stoker’s Tavern was a unique pub. It had

Dracula’s image painted outside and inside it was dark
with lots of dark woods and tables situated in hideaway
areas. The lighting flickered and was eerie. A library
area with a fireplace was in the back of the room – the
books were fake fronts and if you pushed on one section,
you entered the men’s restroom. Another section hid the
ladies’ restroom. They were not marked. The toilets
were the very old kind with the water closet placed very
high on the wall and a chain for flushing. Walls were lined
with old apothecary bottles. Some drinks for sale were
the ‘Seven Deadly Sins.’ There was quite a crowd gathering when we left – Friday night, 5:30 pm.

We found several private gardens like in “Notting Hill.”

 We were late getting back to the hotel for our briefing by Sean [our tour guide] (from Belfast). He
previewed our tour, gave us hints, and then we all went off to bed (at 8pm).

Saturday, May 19, 2001 London

Although we were to bed early, we managed to sleep until 7, getting up and showering. I woke about
every 2 hours. Our rooms are tiny and the tub/shower is small and deep. The view from our window
is the dirty bricks of the backs of other buildings. (I woke with no voice – laryngitis)

Sean gave Brenda and I a personal talk on what tube lines to take to the sites we want to see (the
London Eye, Tower, etc). Took tube to Westminster, walked over Thames [via the Westminster
Bridge] to London Eye (long lines). We paid £4 for a day pass on the tube – Best Bargain.

[ The London Eye next to the

Aquarium. What an adventure,
viewing that part of London from
high above the Thames River.
We were able to see the
‘changing of the guard’ at
Buckingham Palace. See picture
of Big Ben below taken from the
‘Eye’.]

We visited the aquarium after getting off the ‘Eye, ‘ taking many pictures of sharks, eels, stingrays,
etc. Talked with a family from Sweden.
 Dali Exhibit in front of Aquarium.

Then past Parliament to Westminster Abbey (Brenda went in and I waited for her). While Brenda
was in Westminster, a ‘Media March’ came by – up Victoria Street. We saw them again at Trafalgar
Square [later in the day]. Also running up and down the streets were a motorized sofa (complete
w/lamp) and a motorized bed. They zipped by so fast we couldn’t get pictures. I went inside St
Margaret’s Church (beautiful stained glass, gravestones mounted on the walls.
Westminster Abbey

Media March

Stained glass at St Margaret’s

A quick walk past St James Park to Buckingham Palace. (Pictures

of Diane’s Walk) The guards changed at 11 am while we were
riding the ‘Eye,’ but we got pictures of the guards.

[St James Park]

 From there we walked to Trafalgar Square.

[There were large lion statues around the middle – Nelson’s Column, seen in center of photo above. I had been taking
pictures of lions and these I added to my photo collection .]

*Note: This was in 2001, but notice the ‘Put

Saddam on Trial Now’ sign+

From Trafalgar we went to Charing Cross station

and took the ‘tube’ to Tower Hill. We took
pictures of the Tower of London and walked
across Tower Bridge. It was too late to tour the
Tower so I ate fish & chips while Brenda
shopped in the souvenir shop. (At the aquarium
we had bought tickets to a play, ‘Notre Dame de Paris’ which started at 7:45pm, so we had to get
back to the hotel and freshen up before we headed out to Covent Gardens area.)
 Tower Bridge Tower of London

We took the ‘tube’ to Leicester Square and walked up Charing Cross Rd to the Dominion Theatre on
Tottenham Court Rd. The walk was crowded and busy as many people were headed out to plays and
dinner. When we saw the theatre we still had 20 minutes so we ducked into a lingerie shop where
Brenda bought a cute purple number, skimpy with black fringe. (She’s young and in love.)

The play, a musical, was very good. See the enclosed brochure for info. The highlights were the
dancers ringing the bells, the dead girls dancing, and the wonder voices of the priest and the poet. I
should have bought a program – they cost £3.

[It is based upon the novel Notre Dame de Paris by the French novelist Victor Hugo. The music was composed by
Riccardo Cocciante (also known as Richard Cocciante) and the lyrics are by Luc Plamondon. ** see end.
Original London Cast
Tina Arena : Esmeralda
Garou : Quasimodo
Daniel Lavoie : Frollo
Bruno Pelletier : Gringoire
Steve Balsamo : Phoebus
Luck Mervil : Clopin
Natasha St-Pier : Fleur-de-Lys

Female artists who later assumed the role of

Esmeralda include American vocalist Patti
Russo and Australian singer Dannii Minogue.
This was the Esmeralda we saw.]

We got the ‘tube’ right across from the

theatre, climbed down steep stairs, and
went one stop where we caught another
line (Picadilly) back to Earl’s Court. All the
‘tubes’ were packed all evening – standing
room only. Brenda was tired and cross
and went right to bed. I came down to the lobby to write this. Now I’m off to bed. (12:10am)

Sunday, May 20, 2001 London

Cloudy on occasion – some sun, warm.
Up around 6 am, breakfast at 7 and off early – an all day pass on the ‘tube.’ First stop – Notting Hill
and Portebello Rd. Everyone had assured us that the markets were open on Sunday, and either they
didn’t know or we were too early (many shops said they opened at 11am and we were there at 9:30).
The streets were deserted and strewn with garbage
from Saturday market. We asked directions from
many citizens and finally found the Travel Book Store
and what we believe was the blue door (which is now
brown). Nice neighborhood on a Sunday.

The ‘tube’ lines were being repaired in the direction

we wanted to go, so we had to ride a ‘double-decker’
bus a ways (Edgeware Rd to Baker Street). There we
saw the long lines for Madam Tussauds’ but Brenda
asked around and found we could go right in to the
planetarium, then into the museum – cost £5 and
saved us over an hour in line.

The Planetarium was good, but we went through a lot of film in the wax museum – we both had to
pose with all our favorites. The ride (London Thru Time[Spirit of London]) kept breaking down on us,
but we finally got through.

[Spirit of London – Hop into a black cab and take a journey back in time. Our special, mini versions of London’s
world famous taxis have room for two and will drive you through the historic and cultural events that have
shaped London into the great city it is today. So sit back and enjoy the ride! Your journey begins in Tudor times
where Sir Francis Drake is riding the high seas. Quill in hand, Shakespeare is busy working on one of his
masterpieces so don’t expect him to look up when you drive past. You’ll rush through a London haunted by
plague and fire, slowing down just in time to see the new city being built by architect Sir Christopher Wren.
Queen Victoria reigns over the London of the industrial revolution and you’ll hear the air raid sirens before you
enter a London at war. But don’t worry; your cab will drive you safely through the blitz and into the swinging
sixties, dropping you back off in today’s Madame Tussauds.+
 Back to the ‘tube’ and on to St John’s Wood to get a picture of Abbey Rd (Beatles’ album cover) – a
popular spot with lots of tourists around. A quick walk back up to the ‘tube’ and on to St Paul’s
Cathedral. It is closed on Sundays and we had limited photo opportunities cause it too was under
repair.

Next stop, Liverpool Street. Brenda wanted a photo by a sign so she could surprise her friends –
something about a popular song they all like about sitting in Liverpool all alone and depressed. First
we had to eat cause we were getting cranky. Liverpool Street is a large ‘tube’ and rail station with
lots of shops and cafes. We got fish & chips at a pub there (JD Witherspoon Freehouse).

[Lion Photos –
 After the photo we went on to the British Museum. We got help from a girl from Oxford who’d
moved into the city – she directed from the station, but having spent 2 whole days together, Brenda
and I decided to go through the museum on our own and meet back outside in 2 hours (6pm when it
closed). My feet were really sore so I only went through the Egypt, Greece and Roman exhibits
(Brenda paid to see the Cleopatra exhibit). I looked for souvenirs but found none. When we were
done we went through a shop across the street having a close-out sale. There were kilts in there but
I didn’t know the McMillan plaid.

On the way home we stopped at Picadilly Circus, bought souvenirs and ate at a steak house. The
‘tube’ ride was a welcome relief – to sit down and chat for a while. At the motel we sat with Richard
and Sue while they finished dinner and all recapped our day. Sue had a ‘Bailey’s ‘ Irish drink and I had
an ale. We’re leaving early in the morning so we spent a while packing and getting ready.

Monday, May 21, 2001 London -> Dublin

(beautiful sunny day)

We were up early with our bags set out at 7 am, down to breakfast and then off by bus to Heathrow
Airport for a short flight to Dublin. The plane was delayed coming in so we were about ½ hr late
getting off. Someone had joked that our delay was President Bush again – close guess – we later
learned that Clinton was at Trinity College, probably the reason for our delay. This flight was short
and uneventful. I sat by the window and was able to see the city from the air (about 1.5 million
people). Sean was on the plane trip with us.

We boarded a bus at the airport (had to walk across the mats for
hoof-and-mouth disease disinfecting [as there was a quarantine in
effect at the time]). We came through the city from the north and
Sean pointed out a lot of the sights. Our hotel is situated very close
to down- town. It was crowded and confused, but we finally got our
rooms [at Harcourt Hotel off St. Stephens Greens].

After freshening up I walked with Suzanne and Heidi *her partner+ through St Stephens’ Greens
where everyone was out enjoying the sun, to the National Library where we checked out the
genealogy room. After helping Heidi, the lady told me my Logues were probably Scots that came to
Ireland (Presbyterians) and were not quite Protestants and not Catholic so were forced from their
lands (18th Century) with many going to Pennsylvania, Maryland, etc. She recommended checking
 out the Ulster project and gave me a brochure. We then looked at a display of political cartoons
depicting the fight for freedom from England.

We then walked to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and the ancient library hall. We saw where
they were setting up a reception area in the Commons for President Clinton. The walk back was
through Grafton Street where all the tourist shops are – I did locate a cyber café. We went into
Brewley’s for drinks.
[St Stephens Green]

[Trinity College]
We got back to the hotel in time for dinner (chicken or salmon) and visited. Then we met with Sean
for info on the tour. The optional tours were a little different.

I went back to the room and watched BBC TV ‘Playing the Field,’ for an hour. Then I went to the bar
to listen to the authentic Irish music and have my first glass of Guiness. I sat with Erika and Shane
and visited til almost midnight.

Brenda has a friend in Dublin so she went out with her. She came in about 1:30 am.

Tuesday, May 22, 2001 Dublin, Ireland

I was up before 7 for a shower and got ready for breakfast. The restaurant was very crowded and a
group of German tourists made a fuss over seating, but the waitress was very firm and stern with
them [the Germans were travelling together on a bus also].

Breakfast was scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, grapefruit sections, coffee and
milk.

We went directly to the bus for a tour of the city [included in the tour
package+. We drove by St Stephen’s Green, along the Liffey, past the Guiness
brewery to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. We walked thru and heard the boy choir
from the school nearby singing. Tressa, our guide (pronounced Traysa) told us
all about the Cathedral. [see picture] We also drove through Phoenix Park
(the largest enclosed park in Europe) where the US Embassy and the
President’s residence are. They appeared to be preparing for a visit from
Clinton – lots of security.
 We saw all the statues in the streets, the Ha Penny bridge, Georgian homes, and ended up at the
National Museum.

I walked to a shop with Brenda to get stamps, souvenirs

and cash a traveler’s check [saw the panorama wall on this walk]. Then back to the museum to meet
Suzanne and Heidi for a venture. We got a day pass on the DART (rapid transit) and went SE to
Dalkey for lunch at Finnegan’s (recommended by Tressa). A beautiful town and quaint café/pub. We
walked around the village and looked at the castles and churches. Then we got on DART to go
further out to Bray.

There we walked to the seaside and enjoyed the clear air and sunshine.
(I picked up a rock for Sydney.) We started back toward Dublin, stopping
for a snack and stroll thru Dun Laoghaire (a ferry port and yachting
center). The walk back
from the Dublin rail
station I was quite tired –
my feet hurting and my
bags seeming to weight a
ton.

(We had lunch at a pub/café called Finnegan’s –

Heidi’s surname. I had a cottage pie, meat and
veggies cooked with potatoes and cheese on top. The
glass of Guiness I had with lunch was smoother and
less bitter than the one I had last night.)

Brenda continues to spend lots of money on gifts for family and friends. Her friend Megan works
where she can ship her gifts home free of charge. (Megan had come over to Ireland a couple years
ago and decided to stay.)

In the village of Dalkey many people named their homes. Some were Spanish design and ‘Casa….’,
others were like Deerfield or Eileenville. I thought I might think of a name for my home.

Wednesday, May 23, 2001 Dublin

Brenda is off on her own tour today so she slept in. I got up around 6:30 to prepare for
breakfast. The tour to Powerscourt leaves at 9am. Many of our group are going on this tour.

The bus ride out of Dublin (to the south along the coast and into County Wicklow) was thru a
newer, more affluent part of town. They’d taken out the front yards of homes lining the
road to make a six lane highway. At 9:30 am the traffic was still bumper to bumper into
town.

This town hasn’t the transportation system you find in London. They are only now seeing an
influx of people after centuries of citizens leaving the country to try their luck in other
countries.

We were soon in the country and after an hour of driving narrow windy roads through
pasture lands, new reforestation, and tiny villages we arrived in Glendalough. Here St Kevin
had come to find peace for reflection and being close to God in the 7 th century. But many
monks followed him and soon there were churches of rock built all around the valley. They
built round towers to protect their valuables from the Vikings.

I strolled through the churchyards and out to the lower lake, about ¼ mile. I took a picture
of the undergrowth to show everyone where the ‘little people’ live. Then to the restaurant
for toilet and a quick cup of coffee.

The next stop was the mansion and gardens of Powerscourt. I had a sandwich (ham, cheese
and coleslaw) before inspecting the mansion. It had burned down in 1978, but they’ve
restored it somewhat. Out in the gardens, which take about an hour to walk around, it was
warm and sunny. (Sean says he’s been here at least 20 times and today had the nicest
weather.) [In fact the weather all along had been exceptional.] The grounds were beautiful
with lots of statues and ponds.

The drive back into town was quick as most of the traffic was going out at 3:30-4 pm. I went
to my room and freshened up, then strolled up town with a lady from OK and her daughter
from Colorado (part of our group). We checked out the Powerscourt Centre looking at
antiques and strolled back along Grafton before heading back to the hotel. I watched a little
TV and had a short nap. Then I joined Erika and Shane in the pub for a Guiness. A popular
band was supposed to play but they had the TV on to championship ‘football’ (soccer). They
were in extra overtime and tied 1 to 1. With penalties played out the popular team (in the
pub) won 5 to 4. Then the band (Dublin City Ramblers) began. They were quite good, but
very loud. Brenda came in early (her friend had cooked her dinner) and we went to bed.

Yellow weeds are gorse – TV gardeners recommend putting it in gopher holes to deter them.
 Our guide, Fiona, though from Kildare area, has no accent at all. Everyone was surprised she was a
native.

Thursday, May 24, 2001 Dublin – Cork

Sunny and quite warm again today. Some of us are having to use suntan lotion (sunscreen).

Up at 6am to shower and get bags out. Was ready by 6:30 so left so Brenda could get ready. I
figured I’d better call Lyle since I couldn’t find a computer to email him. He was asleep as it was
about midnight there.

He was pleased I’d called – said Chalet is going to take driver’s training so he’ll write a check and I can
get the money from her later. He’d also seen Sydney. So life was good with him.

We left Dublin around 9am travelling west then south to Kildare and the National Stud farm. After a
short tour we walked through a Japanese garden.
Kilkinney Castle had been closed because of foot-and-mouth and when it was reopened Go-Ahead
couldn’t get reservations fast enough. So we will tour another castle. But we stopped by Kilkinney by
the castle for lunch and photos. I had lunch and did a little exploring of shops.

Kilkinney Castle

Abt 4 pm we arrived in Cahir for a tour of the castel there (another Norman one like Kilkenny). Our
guide was excellent, telling the history of the castle. Everyone enjoyed the tour and exploring the
castle stairs, parapets and walls. I shopped in a little gift shop across the street, getting a beautiful
Celtic bell. I also got some great photos.
 We drove on to Cork thru some gorgeous pastureland. Sean played Irish music and earlier had
played a tape of comedy.

Our hotel in Cork was quite nice – big rooms and a beautiful chandelier in the lobby. We had dinner
in their dining room and were free for the evening. I asked to join Shane and Ericka in a jaunt into
town. We walked down the hill to the Opera House across the River Lee. We chose a sports pub
Sean had recommended and ordered a round. Erika paid. After a few minutes Sean came in. He was
waiting for his friend to meet him. Fiona works for another travel agency and is a coordinator. She
was quite animated and she and Sean had a very heated conversation. (Fiona was upset because she
got a call on her cell phone from a woman who asked for Sean. She was accusing Sean of giving out
her cell number. She appeared to be very taken with Sean.) We described Idaho to them and they
talked about Ireland. We left about midnight but Sean stayed til after 2.

Friday, May 25, 2001 Cork

It rained a little in the early morning and it is quite cloudy.

Breakfast was filling and we took off at 9:15. The sky was cloudy and the air hazy. We drove thru
town and looked at a few sights, then out to Cobh to the Heritage Center.

*On another tour of Ireland I found online there is a ‘Titanic’ walking tour of this town - The very pier
where Titanic passengers departed is seen. St. Colmans Cathedral, the Holy Ground, and the site of
the landing of Lusitania victims are all pointed out to the visitor and interspersed with a multitude of
emigrant, military and maritime history. The trail brings the whole era of Sailing Ships, departing
emigrants (almost 3 million left from Cobh) and great military fleets to life in a way that leaves a
lasting impression on the visitor.]

Fergus, the bus driver, was driving up a very narrow street and cars coming the other direction had to
at times back up so we could get by the parked vehicles. One guy refused to budge and we all
thought he and Fergus might come to blows. But after much yelling and gesturing, he backed up and
we got thru the narrow street, turned around and back to the Center.

We had a couple hours here and Sean suggested that we shop and/or have a cup of tea or coffee
before entering the museum cause a bus load of kids were just pulling in and they would rush us
(they, however, went right to the shops).

I shopped and bought a shawl, a tam and a tweed hat, a crystal egg,
and a crystal dish. Then I walked thru the museum about the
emigration of the Irish from Cobh to America. There was also a
section on the Titanic and the Lusitania.

We then left and headed towards Blarney Castle. We had over four hours
to explore the castle and grounds, shop, eat and/or drink. Most of us chose
to go immediately to the castle and climb to kiss the stone. I climbed with
Sue up the narrow spiral steps (over 90 of them) and we stopped about half
way up to catch our breath and take pictures. Then on to the top and do
the act (we each took a picture of the other). We looked around while up
there and took a few pictures. Then down the other set of very. very narrow, steep spiral stairs.

4pm I came out from the Blarney Woolen shop to find it raining. Brenda had wanted it to rain.

I’d been inside the pub first visiting with Richard who bought me a pint as he waited for Sue to shop,
then with Brenda as she ate and visited with Patrick, an Irish lad from Cork. We talked of movies and
immigrants and speaking multiple languages.

I went to the restroom (toilet) and talked with a lady from Britain, visiting her husband’s family in
Cork. She had been to Florida and New York where there are more of her husband’s relatives.
 Brenda

We drove from Blarney to Kenmare to our hotel.

The Hotel was very busy so they asked if we would
wait for our dinner til tomorrow night so Sean told
us of a short cut into town for shops, pubs, and
restaurants. There was also a very fine ring which
most of the group rushed off to inspect.

[Kenmare abounds with archeological

sites. Set among the artisan shops and
spectacular views are ancient roots, for
this town has one of the largest stone circles in the south-west of Ireland, and
it is also the only monument of it’s kind to be situated so close to a town. “the
Cork/Kerry Stone circles may have some relationship with the famous
monument at Stonehenge”, and that in the center of the circle is a type of
burial monument known as a “Boulder Dolman” which are rarely found outside
of Southwestern Ireland.

This monument shows occupation in the area going back to the Bronze Age
(2,200-500 B.C), when it was constructed. The circle has 15 stones that are
made of greenstone or brownstone and form a large egg-shaped circle with a
boulder dolmen in the center. This is an impressive boulder-burial with a giant
capstone that weighs almost seven tons. Stones of this type are not found for
many miles and were undoubtedly moved to this location. It is unclear as to
what the meaning of this monument is. It may have been used for rituals by
druid priests, hence the local name “Druids Stone Circle”. It may also have
been used as a primitive calendar, or a burial site, beneath the center stone.]
 I, however, waited for my bags so I could set my battery [for my camera] to charging. Then I took off
by myself into town. I met up with Lester and his wife and Mike and his wife (from New Hampshire,
retired professor) and joined them for dinner. Lester is also retired from a University in Alabama. I
had fish & chips, others had Irish stew. Shane and Erika came in and I joined them cause we were to
go out.

We went to a quiet pub and visited. Although it was Friday night, it was not busy. Erika has a digital
camera too so we shared photos and took a couple crazy shots. The walk back to the hotel was along
a dark pathway and we were hurried right along even tho part of it was up a steep incline.

Shane and Erika In the lobby of the hotel.

Kenmare is on the ocean so it was misty, but not raining.

Saturday, May 26, 2001 Ring of Kerry

Rain off and on today We finally had a typical Irish weather day; mist, clouds, and an occasional downpour.

Breakfast at 7:30 and off on a trip around the Ring of Kerry. We climbed a hill, then dropped into the
valley where the lakes of Killarney are. Our first stop was at the water bus on the lake. We had a
wonderful cruise around the lake with the sun peaking out. There were 2 little boys on the boat that
I took pictures with the digital camera and showed to them. They loved it. It was so pleasant I
decided I’d like to retire there as the captain – hauling people back and forth across the beautiful
water all summer with Lyle spending his days fishing.
 Sean ‘guiding’ from the front of the bus

Lake of Killarney tour

When we got off the boat at Ross Castle we immediately got onto jaunty carts for a ride thru the National
Park and into the city. (Here’s where our group pictures were taken.)

I was riding with John and his wife, the retired school teacher who travels all the time, Suzanne, Heidi
and another couple of ladies. We had a good time.

Back on the bus and up a ways to a thatched inn for lunch. Then we went up the road further to a
demonstration of sheepdogs working. They were quite entertaining.

Sometime during this jaunt we stopped for a look across the bay to Dingle Peninsula where several
US movies have been made. Kevin Back and Nicole Kidman made one there and spent some time in
the local towns.

The rest of the day was spent driving around the Ring. We stopped at one little shop where we were
all treated to Irish coffee. Suzanne bought a beautiful emerald jacket and I was tempted to guy a
gorgeous emerald ring – heart-shaped emerald surrounded by diamonds with the hands to the side
 and the crown on top (heart = love, hands = friendship, drown – loyalty). It only cost about $550 but I
just couldn’t justify it. At another shop I found Chalet a pretty Irish porcelain doll.

After a delicious dinner of chicken/ham in cream sauce over a pita pocket, beef stew and veggies, and
a fruit custard, a lot of us walked into town to listen to traditional music. The band at the first pub
was very good, with guitar, accordion, spoons, and bongo drums. I could have stayed there all
evening (it wasn’t even smoky) but the others wanted to move on so we went to this horrible,
crowded, noisy place.

Brenda had thrown a tantrum in the restaurant (in the hotel) cause she couldn’t find a place at the
tables, so she was already in a weird mood, but up town she allowed herself to be courted by some
really drunk guy, then was upset cause he gave her a hickey on her neck. She was afraid her
boyfriend back home wouldn’t understand. The gay male couple was supposedly chaperoning her,
but they didn’t or couldn’t discourage her from flirting terribly. The ‘guy’ of the two is a pastor of a
new wave church in Dallas that has recently been featured on TV (20-20, etc).

Mary and Kim had joined us and seemed to

have a good time. They left early however –
10:30 maybe.

One of the band talked to us about his

adventures in America – hitch-hiking around
the eastern states.

Sunday, May 27, 2001 Kenmare - Galway

After a damp, cloudy morning, the sun came peeking out around 11am.

After a typical Irish breakfast we took off out of Kenmare enroute to Killarney for a short break.
Kevin and Kathy were late getting back to the bus cause they hiked out to the castle (only to find it
closed). I strolled around by myself for a while then met up with Mike and his wife. Shane and Erika
were venturing through the stores so I walked back to the bus with them.

From Killarney we went north through New Castle to Adare where we stopped for lunch at a heritage
center/shops/thatched huts/ abbey-monastery. All this so we could arrive at Bunratty Castle ahead
of the other buses. It worked and we were able to get right in on our tour.
Bunratty Castle

This castle has been restored beautifully and is

used for medieval banquets in the evening.
Next to it is a Folk Park with replicas of homes,
stores and businesses of by gone days in
Ireland. I explored the castle after the tour
guide gave us a lecture on the castle’s history.
I took some pictures, then I strolled into the
Folk Park and peeked into some of the shops
and homes. I ran into Suzanne and Heidi who
suggested going to Christina’s across the
street for ice cream.

I had an Irish coffee and a trip flavor sundae.

I’m amazed at how Irish desserts are not as sweet as ours, even the ice cream. They tend to use
unprocessed, unrefined (?) sugar and little of it. Things also seem to be more flavorful.
As we were walking back to the coach we saw two young boys hurling (stick ball) so I asked if I could
take their pictures; They were thrilled. Suzanne gave theme each an Idaho pin.

We continued on driving past Shannon into Galway. We arrived around 6pm and dinner was
scheduled at the hotel for 6:45. The hotel (the Imperial Hotel) is right on the Eyre Square in central
Galway – again an ideal location. The meal I chose was a salad, cod, and rhubarb crisp. It was
delicious as all our meals have been. Out rooms are quite nice even though the hotel looks weird and
dumpy from the street. And right close to the hotel is a shoe store called LOGUE’S.

Brenda suggested we go to a movie so we checked one out – a Cineplex was close to the hotel and
Bridget Jones’ Diary was playing. (We had stopped at the Gaming Room next door to the hotel to use
the internet. I checked my email and sent a few. Cost £1 per 10 min.) We made it in time but the
journey there was round-about. Brenda asked someone for the directions to the theatre and we
searched around for it, when, in fact, we were just a few hundred yards from it. His directions sent
us blocks out of our way. It was a misty rain and I had worn the wool shawl I’d bought in Cobh (at the
Heritage Center). It worked really well keeping the rain off me. We passed a store that had a replica
of Julia Roberts’ Oscars dress,

The movie was quite funny – we both like it and the theatre was packed. The Cineplex had 11
screens, and all the latest hits were playing (US hits that is).

Our walk back to the hotel was uneventful once we got our bearings. It continued to drizzle so we
stopped in at the hotel pub when we got back for a ‘hot paddy.’ It is whiskey, hot water, a lemon
 slice (or orange) with cloves floating in it. (The hotel locked up at 11 and we got back at 11:30, so had
to ring for someone to let us in.)

The drink warmed us up and we were then ready for bed. (The bartender was a student from
Indiana, spending his summer in Ireland working.)

HOLIDAY
Monday, May 28, 2001 Galway

I didn’t want to get up this morning but didn’t want to miss breakfast. I took a quick shower and
went down. I’d decided to skip the Cliffs and do some genealogy research today. The weather was
really crappy though. Along with the heavy misting rain, the wind was blowing. I wanted to check
out he Logue’s Shoe Store and it was open when I went out. But the sales girls were not helpful and I
determined that the owners are not Logues. I saw a sign for a tourist office and took off towards it.
There I picked up a couple books on Irish immigration – tracing roots.

The rain was falling harder and the wind blew my umbrella around. I ran into some of the guys from
our group (Kevin, Linda and Sarah, Linda and Jerry) and they were getting discounted tours to the
Cliffs and to the Aran Islands tomorrow. They asked me to join them and I agreed when I found it
was £15 compared to the $48 GoAhead was charging.

The tour was surprisingly pleasant and except for the

extreme winds at the Cliffs (up to 80 mph at times),
the weather was fine. The guide was pleasant and
informative /

[I scribbled these notes on the back of my tour ticket

– Lally coaches – Scenic Tours, The Burren]:

Clarenbridge – oyster
Kilcolgan rt towards Burren (rainy)
Stone walls (dry) no cement
Narrow rds #24 on disk 5/27-28
Kinvara
Co Clare Bally Vaughn – Galway Bay, Martel tower to watch for Napolean – boats in bay, Monk Inn
(Aran sweaters – designs to ID drowned fishermen)
Cliffs: 650 ft Fanore Beach #17
# 19 Rock Angling (many of these notes were for the photos I was taking)
Doolin for lunch 1:30 (fish and chips)
Lisdoonvarna – Match maker, 1 month of year sulpher water baths
#18
Kil Fenora ruled by Pope Celtic music
 O’Brian Castle Mary married 20 times.
Burial site on private land.

On the way back we went to the Aillwee Cave. It was quite good, but the pictures didn’t turn out too
well (dark inside).

We got back to town around 5. I rested awhile then went out for a while to mail my postcards and
use the internet again. As I came out Sue and Richard went by, so I had an ice cream with them.
Then went to a store for some pop to take back to the room. Watched a Star Wars marathon,
including Episode 1.

Got sleepy before the end so turned off.

Tuesday May 29, 2001 Galway, Ireland

I was up at 7:20 and down to breakfast. I decided not to do the Aran Islands cause it was still cool
weather and I would be uncomfortable paying $59 for the tour when the others are doing it for £29. I
asked Linda if she’d take one of my disposable camera and get some shots for me.

Meanwhile, I walked down the pedestrian way to the Quay

(pronounced Key) and spent way too much money. On the way
I dropped off a roll of film for Brenda – one day processing. I
got a bunch of jewelry and a couple more of the funny hats –
over $100. Then I stopped by a music shop to get some of the
CDs of musicians I had heard – Dublin City Ramblers, Woman’s
Heart.
I checked out a few more shops and thought I’d resisted buying sweaters, but ended up with
matching green colored Marino wool sweaters – which are machine washable. I just hope Lyle likes
his.

Next I walked to the river & took a few pictures. Musicians played and performers were all along the
walk way. The weather was cool and started drizzling a little. I headed back to the hotel and
watched a little TV. I repacked my suitcases then took a nap.

I decided to walk up to a famous fish & chips place on the Quay. I tried the Cod and it was delicious.
On the way back to the hotel I stopped at a stationary for an album for my
pictures. I also picked up Brenda’s pictures.

I went by a Super Mac (100% Irish) – Ireland’s version of McDonalds for an

ice cream (there are McDonalds all over). I saw a cute little boy eating an ice
cream and I asked if I could take his picture.

I stopped by a book store and looked through some history books, curious about the Scotch-Irish, the
Presbyterians and early Ulster history. A dictionary of Irish family names referred Logue to Leech and
explained that he name (Laoghog) meant medical doctors and the families came from Scotland and
England (Cheshire). They settled in parts of Ireland, but in Derry and Donegal the name was
transformed to Logue.

Another book (‘An Ecclesiastical History of Ireland’ by Rev MJ Brenan, 1848 2nd
Edition) quotes “Groans of Ireland” from Gentleman’s Magazine, Vol II – in 1741
a dreadful famine fluxes and malignant fevers prevailed, the streets and
highways were covered with the bodies of the dead, while the number of those
who perished by famine and pestilence had been computer at 400,000. Rumors
of invasion from France (1743)’. *from Wikipedia- The story of the Irish Great Frost
of 1740-1741 holds lessons for human social behavior in response to climate-induced
limitations in energy, food, and housing. Fifty to one hundred years passed before Ireland
was healthy again, only to experience the 1840s famine. Dickson notes that an upsurge in
migration out of Ireland in the years after the 1740-1741 crisis, similar to the mass
emigration in the 1840s, did not occur. One additional item: Irish Tree Ring Dater, Mike
Baillie confirmed tree ring patterns in 1740 that were consistent with severe cold.

The year 1741, during which the famine was at its worst and mortality was greatest, was known in folk memory
as the "year of the slaughter" (or "bliain an áir" in Irish). Our Logue family came to America in the early 1740,
so could have been the famine or religious persecution.]

I bought a history book of Ireland. I went back to the room and watched some TV, read my books,
wrote in the journal, and did some puzzles. The group didn’t make it back from Aran Islands til
almost 7pm. I guess it was beautiful, but long and the weather was cool and windy.

Brenda immediately started her hour-long ‘beauty’ routine – cleaning her skin, applying all her
lotions and makeup, putting on her most revealing clothes, and curling her hair (of course she had to
borrow my converter cause she’d gotten lotion into hers). If she only knew that all that effort only
makes people resent her not like her more… *I guess sharing a room with someone so much younger
was starting to wear on me. Could I have been jealous? No, not me!] And she’s sure to get into
 more mischief like she did before. Then she can call Kirk [her boyfriend back in Idaho?? ] and tell him
it was everyone else’s fault.

As everyone was climbing on the bus this morning I stood with Shane and Erika. They said they’d
asked Brenda where I was and she told them I was staying in. In reality if anyone had asked me out,
I’d have loved to go with them.

So I asked them to call me tonight when they’re ready to go out. I would like to hear some good
music again before I leave.

It was after 9:30 when Erika called. They’d gone out to dinner and returned to freshen up. We went
to several places down the pedestrian walk toward the
Quay, but most were extremely packed. We went into one
where we could find a place to stay, but the music was not
traditional.

We walked back by the hotel to a place they had visited last night and we were able to find seats, but
no music. Finally, around midnight we all decided we were tired and 7:30 was early.

When I got back to my room I found a note from Brenda stating she and her Galway friends were
going to a dance club that is open really late. She wasn’t coming in but would be back by breakfast
time. So I got into my pajamas and went to bed.

Wednesday, May 30, 2001 Galway -> Shannon -> home

I woke up at 5:30 and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I got up and showered, got my bags ready, and
went down for coffee. I left the key at the front desk for Brenda if she decided to show up and get
ready to go home.

It was rainy all night but cleared up a little by the time we went out. (We went through rain on the
way to the airport, but was mostly sunny.).

Most of the people showed up for breakfast. When people asked about Brenda I said she had
gone out to a dance club. She never appeared for breakfast and hadn’t been in the room when I left
at 6:30-6:45. So after breakfast (around 8), I figured I should let Suzanne know in case she didn’t
show. She suggested that I check to see if she’d returned – if not, she would pack her bags with me
as a witness. She discussed it with Sean.

I asked for the key and it was gone so Suzanne accompanied me upstairs to be sure she was in the
room – she was. So I chose to double check the room for any of my things, then go board the coach.
I gave Fergus his tip and gave him a hug. I gave Sean’s tip to Suzanne to include with the cards she
had purchased for Sean and Fergus. While I was filling out my comments on the cards, Brenda came
over and started bawling me out for blowing the whistle on her. I guess I should have just ignored
peoples’ questions and if she hadn’t appeared, acted as surprised as the rest. Oh well, enough about
her.

The trip is finally over – the weather on the whole was great, only raining on us a couple of times and
windy when we did the Cliffs.

Checking in at Shannon was not difficult. It’s a small international airport and wasn’t too busy this
morning. I was able to get a window seat which proved great for viewing and taking pictures. (I have
some great shots of either Iceland or Greenland).

The movie was ‘Chocolat’ and a second feature was about technology espionage with a character you
knew was supposed to be Bill Gates – how technology is infiltrating our lives and powerful people are
using it to control the world. The screens were smaller on this place (Aer Lingus) that on the ‘red-eye
express’ going over, so it was harder to see, especially when the guy in front of you puts his hands
behind his head and his arms block your view.

I was seated next to Brenda and needless to say things were pretty tense between us by this time –
we maybe said 3 words to each other the whole trip to Chicago.

Our flight had been changed and left about 45 minutes earlier than was on our original itinerary. This
put us into Chicago earlier than scheduled, so our layover was longer.

(We had to go to customs and tax-free stations with our receipts to get (VAT) taxes back fro where
merchants charged full prices. I went back and forth between 3 stations. Patricia Stewart’s plane
was about ready to take off so she gave me her receipts to file. All together I got about $30 US back.
I spend the last of my punts on some earrings – green shamrocks on a gold circle.)

There was a family on the plane with a baby and 2 small girls. They were so quiet and well-behaved –
they travel very well and parents should be proud. Everyone complimented them as we unloaded in
Chicago.

One mistake I made was not buying some water at Shannon airport ‘cause I allowed myself to get a
little dehydrated and when I drank diet pops and ate the airplane food – loaded with sugars and
carbohydrates – the end results was a case of hives when I got home. I bought water at Chicago but
by then the damage had been done.
At Chicago I hurried through Customs (they had the luggage carts for free, just like you find in London
and Ireland airports, so I piled by 3 bags on and scooted right through.) At Shannon we (Brenda,
Suzanne, Heidi and I) had checked in together so our luggage was all ckd together also. That way I
was able to check 3 bags cause everyone else only had 1 check-in bag. They all had those huge
luggage bags while I had the 2 small pilot cases (19” and 21”) and a duffle bag (green with IRELAND
printed on it in white) I bought at Blarney Mills to carry all my excess that I always seemed to
accumulate. Even taking clothes that I could toss after wearing once or twice didn’t help. About all I
was willing to part with was my navy Levi bend-Overs and the navy sweat-jacket that I’d ruined by
trying to put an iron-on patch on the pocket.

After hurrying through Customs, I jumped on the train that took you to the correct terminal (United)
and got into line for the boarding pass. No one else from the group was in sight. They finally started
showing up as I got up to the counter. I wasn’t able to get a window seat this time and had to settle
for an aisle (still next to Brenda).

From the counter, I went up to the gates. Gate 8 was empty (we were leaving from Gate 3, but not
for 3 – 4 hours) so I found a seat in there and started doing puzzles. Richard and Sue showed up and
sat with me. We had ice cream cones from McDonald’s and sat and discussed the trip, their golf
game [they had played golf with Suzanne and Heidi in Galway in spite of the brisk wind and drizzle] ,
and our favorite ‘blond boob’.

Soon everyone had worked their way over near Gate 3 so we moved over there. As it neared our
boarding time, I noticed someone who looked familiar in the crowd. It was Dr Barr (from BSU). He
had just returned from Vienna (or some equally exotic place), and was traveling with his wife, and
appeared to be very intoxicated.

The plane ride home was uneventful. When we landed we went directly to the baggage claims.
Since I had all the claims tickets I had to be sure everyone had their bags. Lyle was not waiting for me
so I tried to call home. No answer. He had probably come in and went upstairs as we were waiting
for our luggage to start.

As I was waiting outside with Erica & Shane, he finally decided to check around and found us.

[It is important to note that this trip was taken prior to 911 – by 4 months, so travel was
less restricted.]
Remembrances – June 7, 2001

[As I was preparing a presentation for co-workers and looking through my pictures, I was remembering some
things that I had not written down, so I thought I’d better get them down on paper before I forgot
them. Here is what I remembered.]

Hotels – there seems to be great concern for fire safety in all the hotels we stayed in (except the Harcourt in
Dublin where we stayed in a remodeled section). To reach your room you went through numerous
doors kept closed at all times.

In London, we were on the third floor (although our room was 225 – all hotels counted the second floor as
the first floor, etc) across from Suzanne and Heidi. The room was tiny and the bathroom tinier. Our
window looked out on the roof of floor 2 and onto an alley – see picture. The tub was almost square
and very deep.

We had 2 twin beds and no place to store our bags. Brenda just opened her big suitcase up on the floor and
unloaded it all over the room. I tried to confine my mess to my area (around my bed). Both of us
had bought converters, she using hers for her curling iron and me using mine for charging batteries
for my digital camera.

We didn’t spend much time in this hotel ‘cause we knew we only had 3 days and we wanted to do as much
sightseeing as possible.
The continental breakfasts were served in a sunny diner right off the lobby facing the street. Offered were:
dried fruits, cereals (both boxed and granola), biscuits, fruit tarts, muffins, fruit juices, peaches,
prunes and grapefruit, milk and yogurt. And of course, coffee. I liked to take extra dried fruits and
mix them with my nuts to snack on for the day. [I had been on the Atkins diet and gotten used to
having almonds with me all the time, so I had taken a big bag of almonds in my luggage to snack on
during the days.]

In Dublin (at the Harcourt) Brenda was out with her friends most of the time so we each got a door key (a
plastic card w/a magnetic strip). We both had to have our card re-magnitized several times. This
room was a little larger than the last, facing a noisy street and the afternoon sun (so it got very warm
with the unnatural warm spell we encountered). It was unique in that you had to put your room key
into a keypad in order to use the power. If you didn’t put your card in, you had no lights.
 Because this was a remodeled Georgian
house, we had a nice bathroom with a shower
w/glass doors. It was tiny, however, and you
found yourself slowly turning off the water
whenever you moved cause you hit the water
valve.

I took the bed by the wall which was a good thing, cause I had coughing spasms from drainage in my throat
tickling, so I had to sleep sitting up a couple nights. The spreads on these beds were for at lease
regular size if not queen size beds cause there were way too big for twin beds.

There were 2 big mirrored doors but only one opened to a closet – the other just revealed the wall to the
bathroom.

Some people had rooms to the back of the old section of the hotel, and they had to listen to the sounds of
the bands in the pub. I guess the Dublin City Ramblers on Wednesday night were pretty loud.

Our hotel in Cork [the Sheraton Court Hotel] was quite nice even if the elevators were tiny and slow and the
stairs were confusing because of those fire doors.
Irish breakfasts were pretty much the same at every place we stayed – eggs (both scrambled and sunny side
up), bacon that looked like thin ham slices, toast (in Dublin, the gals were kept busy feeding bread
into a toasting machine set up on the bar in the pub), brown bread, steamed tomato halves, sausage,
blood sausage, and continental breakfast fixins – yogurt, granola, grapefruit, cereals, juices, milk and
coffee).

It was almost not worth unpacking in Cork for one night and an early morning up. Typical Irish breakfast then
off to Cobh.

In Kenmare the arrangements were more traditional – motel style. Everyone commented / complained
about the peacocks. The room keys were traditional keys on big plastic keyholders. The room we got
was large with one regular size bed and one twin. Brenda wanted to ‘rock, paper, scissors’ for who
got the big bed, but since I don’t play those games I just gave it to her. Our time in Kenmare was very
damp but we still were able to keep the window open. Again, Brenda spread her things all over the
room. Her sister works at Bath and Body Works so Brenda has a lot of those products (lotions,
shampoo, conditioner, sprays, face wash, etc). I must confess I used and liked the shampoo and
conditioner a couple times (BIO brand). And I’m so glad she brought a cream for aching muscles
‘cause I had lots of chances to use that with all the walking I did.
We spent 2 nights at Kenmare. [One day was spent touring round the Ring of Kerry and on the Lake, then
back to the motel.] Here our breakfast (as it was in Cork) was served to us by waiters. We helped
ourselves to continental then ordered traditional from waiters who brought it to our tables. In
Dublin and in Galway we did the cafeteria style line-up.

Our last hotel was the Imperial in Galway. It sure didn’t look like a hotel from the street and you had to walk
a long ways to your room. The halls had the fire security doors and motion detecting lighting.

The front door was locked at 10pm and you had to find the buzzer in order to call someone to let you in.

Our meals were served in the back dining area and the server for breakfast was in the front area (which is
where Fergus ate). We lined up cafeteria style to get traditional Irish eggs, bacon, sausage, tomatoes,
potatoes and toast.

NOTES:

Linen towels III

Polo shirts II
Hats IIIII
Bells

Beers:
Guinness
Murphys
Kilkenny
Smithwicks (pronounced Smithicks)

Coming home – Newfoundland -> Ontario -> Quebec -> Lake Huron -> Michigan -> Lake Michigan -> Chicago

Tour Guide – Sean McCuan

Educating Rita filmed at Trinity College.

McDonald’s all over Ireland and London, too.

Hair of the Dog “back home in Kerry”

Quay pronounced key

Rhododendrons all over the place (pictures of Powerscourt)

Kathy and Claudia

Gas – 63-77.9 per litre

License plates - year-county-number

01-KY-1234

Lots of new cars (small) BMWs, Mercedes, Smartcars.